Personal computer systems are well known in the art. They have attained widespread use for providing computer power to many segments of today's modern society. Personal computers (PCs) may be defined as a desktop, floor standing, or portable microcomputer that includes a system unit having a central processing unit (CPU) and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM) and basic input/output system read only memory (BIOS ROM), a system monitor, a keyboard, one or more flexible diskette drives, a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, a fixed disk storage drive (also known as a “hard drive”), a pointing device such as a mouse, and an optional network interface adapter. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a motherboard or system planar to electrically connect these components together. The use of mobile computing devices, such as notebook PCs, personal digital assistants (PDAs), sophisticated wireless phones, etc., has also become widespread. Mobile computing devices typically exchange some functionality or performance when compared to traditional PCs in exchange for smaller size, portable power, and mobility.
The widespread use of PCs and mobile computing devices in various segments of society has resulted in a reliance on computer systems both at work and at home, such as for telecommuting, news, stock market information and trading, banking, shopping, shipping, communication in the form of hypertext transfer protocol (http) and e-mail, as well as other services. Many of these functions take advantage of the communication abilities offered by the Internet or other networks, such as local area networks.
A computer system application that continues to increase in popularity is instant messaging (IM). IM systems allow two or more users on computer systems such as PCs or mobile computing devices to exchange messages in real-time (or near real-time). IM systems allow users to maintain a list of other users, called a buddy or contact list, with whom they wish to interact. Using the IM system, a user can send an instant message to any person on their contact list as long as that person is on-line. Sending a message to an on-line user opens up an instant messaging window where each user may type messages that the other user may see, allowing for an electronic “conversation”. The instant messaging window typically includes both text input by the user as well as received messages, with new content typically appearing at the bottom of the window as older content scrolls upwards in the window. Many IM systems also provide chat room capability, where a user can set up a chat room to be shared by multiple users. The chat room operates under the same principles as basic instant messaging applied to multiple users, as each user may type in messages for other users in the chat room to see. Existing IM systems include Time Warner, Inc.'s AOL® Instant Messenger™ (AIM), Microsoft® Corporation's MSN Messenger™, and Yahoo! Inc.'s Yahoo!® Messenger™.
IM systems allow users to exchange text messages as well as files such as sounds, video, or pictures. The popularity of IM systems is partially based on the immediacy of IM systems, particularly when compared to e-mail. This immediacy typically requires both parties in an IM exchange to be on-line at the same time, in contrast to e-mail. It allows, however, for interactive, back-and-forth exchanges of information without having to perform multiple steps to read, reply, and send a reply e-mail. By ensuring that the recipient of a message is available when a message is sent, the message can be delivered and presented to the recipient nearly instantly (as network conditions allow).
While IM systems continue to increase in popularity, existing IM systems do not provide an efficient and effective mechanism for a user to review the real-time performance of an IM session or chat (such as aspects of speed or frequency of messaging) after termination of the session. Some IM systems provide a transcript of an IM session that includes the text of the conversation, but such a transcript lacks the context of the frequency or speed of messaging. There is, therefore, a need for an easy and effective system to facilitate review of the performance of an IM session or chat.